The Sony XDR-S3HD Radio (3 yrs after)
I have a REL Quake lying around after building a speaker setup w 'dual or stereo subwoofer'. Almost sold it but decided to 'fix' it.
Was very surprised it paired well (size and sound) with the S3HD radio :)
I'd listen to these pair when I'm in the mood to listen to music while W'ingFH.
Since the radio came from US and has a 110V PSU, I actually bought a step down transformer that I use with it. REL plugs straight to the outlet since its 220V.
Didn't know it will cause me trouble one day when I wanted to listen to the setup and after I plugged the REL and step down transformer straight to the outlet - I also plugged the S3 PSU to the outlet forgetting about the transformer *facepalm*. 110V PSU RIP T_T
I went to some local repair shops to inquire about salvaging the transformer w rewind but they all pointed me to Raon (Manila) which is quite far from me. And I doubted they can do it for me since it's already burned/shorted. PLUS I'm not sure what are the voltage output of the PSU since the online service manual says ~10v/~5V and 12V/7V. Yes, the PSU is dual voltage. Something that surprises some people :D
So I started looking for a dual voltage power transformer but they are mostly available only from the likes of Digikey and Mouser where one has to order php2K to get free shipping. While the transformer I need only cost around php600 - I presently didn't have other electronic related stuff to order. So I kept searching lazada and shopee... also went to ebay, amazon, etc etc... but to no avail T_T
Based on the google results, I then decided to make my own dual voltage supply from a single transformer based on circuits using power transistors that converts voltages to distinct output based on the transistor code e.g. LM or AN 7812 = 12V, LM or AN 7805 = 5V.
So I bought the parts from my fave local elex shop: OHM using the diagram from https://www.circuits-diy.com/12v-5v-dual-power-supply/. Quite surprised the parts are really very affordable.
Then proceeded to arrange them on a generic pcb - my 'first' time to actually build something without a premade pcb! So I was very careful and made sure I am following the circuit diagram. 220V is not a joke :D Long story short - I was able to make it work using 12V and 6V supply. Unfortunately, the 6V rail gets really really hot so I abandoned it.
I was then thinking I'm really forced to get the dual voltage from digikey and just get some stuff to reach php2K to get the free shipping. But before I proceed with the purchase - I really wanted to make sure I'm getting the correct output. I actually sent an email to XDRguy (David Stambaugh) and he said 12.7V and 7.2V. Unfortunately for some reason, there is no power transformer that converts to 7V! So weird. And I didn't want to venture into LM317s anymore :D
